King Farouk’s timepiece up for auction in Dubai

CAIRO – 7 March 2018: King Farouk of Egypt’s (1920-1965) personalized Patek Philippe, Reference 1518, will be up for auction at the Dubai watch auction, alongside 180 other watches that will be on public view from March 19 – March 23 which marks the day of the auction.

The historic timepiece has a pre-sale estimate of $400,000 - 800,000; it includes a personalized engraving on the back of the case of the Royal Crown of Egypt, with its three stars and half-moon (also found on the Egyptian flag), and the letter "F" which King Farouk's father considered his lucky letter that he chose names starting with the letter "F" for all of his six children.

“King Farouk’s Patek Phillipe, Reference 1518, is a crowning element of Christie’s Dubai watch sale next month – it is a storied piece with provenance from the Middle Eastern region and is already attracting tremendous interest from the region and beyond,” said Remy Julia, head of watches for Christie’s Middle East, India, and Africa said in a press release.

King Farouk was the tenth ruler from the Muhammad Ali Dynasty; he held his status for 16 years. King Farouk was the penultimate King of Egypt and Sudan and a renowned collector of fine watches, a passion that was passed down to him from his father.

He had commissioned many of the greatest watchmakers at the time to create for him a one of a kind timepiece such as the Patek Philippe, reference 1518, which was launched in 1941. The Patek Philippe, reference 1518, is a timepiece that is celebrated as the first perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch to be produced in a series by any watch company. It is said that only 281 pieces were created.

“Having previously found a home for this watch at auction several years ago, Christie’s is delighted to be trusted again to offer King Farouk’s timepiece to a new generation of collectors,” Julia added.